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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25854481">Wanted: Angel</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spnsmile/pseuds/spnsmile'>spnsmile</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Destiel Prompt August Collection 2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Castiel and Dean Winchester Use Their Words, Castiel and Dean Winchester are Saps, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Choices, Crack Treated Seriously, Dark Crack, Declarations Of Love, Destiel - Freeform, Difficult Decisions, Drama &amp; Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Love, Love Confessions, Loving Castiel (Supernatural), Loving Dean Winchester, M/M, Promises, Sad and Sweet, Saps, Separations, Short, Short &amp; Sweet, Short One Shot, Sweet, The Empty (Supernatural), True Love, Writer's Month, Writer's Month 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:21:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25854481</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spnsmile/pseuds/spnsmile</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel chooses to go to the Empty and Dean has one final piece to say as motivation for the angel to return...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Destiel Prompt August Collection 2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Writer's Month 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Wanted: Angel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>writer's month prompt day 7: hurt/comfort &lt;3</p><p>saps saps saps &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everything comes down to this…</p><p>“The <em>Empty</em>…” Castiel whispers almost to himself, blinking rapidly and breathing hard, gazing at the three most important persons around him as they gather around the war room table. He tells them of a force equivalent to the gods that can aid them in the battle, a power contained in a dark tank waiting to explode. It all gets clearer now… he just needs to reach for that power and take it. It’s not even a question of how, but when.</p><p>He sees Dean’s expression cloud, sees the tight line he makes with his lips, the way his features harden—it’s all Dean ready to disagree.</p><p>“You mean die?” intense green eyes glares at him with daggers.</p><p>“We don’t have time to discuss this,” he doesn’t answer directly.</p><p>“Right, this is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard,” Dean growls.</p><p>“This is the best stupid plan we’ve got,” the angel retorts reasonably, “If we don’t do it, we’re all going to die.”</p><p>“But we’re not going to kill you, Cas,” Sam shakes his head.</p><p>“Oh, I’m itching to do it if he says it again,” Dean snaps, frown deeper, “Forget this, think of another plan—"</p><p>“There’s no other plan,”</p><p>“<strong>Castiel</strong>, don't make use those angel bullets,” Dean’s voice rises, surprising everyone, all except the angel who stares calmly back. It's hard not to pay attention when Dean uses his full name like that. When he does, they all know the situation is bordering to dangerous.</p><p>“You don’t have to,” Cas tells him, "I can manage,"</p><p>“Cas,” Jack starts but Castiel shakes his head with a small smile, enough to dampen the atmosphere even more.</p><p>Slowly, he pulls his gaze back on Dean Winchester who’s still glaring at him like he’s ready to punch Castiel’s face which is not a good idea for the mortal’s knuckles.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Sam says in concern.</p><p>“I can make it come and take me.”</p><p>He let his words sink into the brothers while Jack’s lips parted. It’s been a secret between them and he’s sure Dean will never forgive him, but there’s really no time to explain. Knowing there’ll be a lot of anger he needs to deal later, Castiel takes a moment to fill his lungs with air. He hesitates a moment before he lifts his eyes back to Dean again. Because it's all him.</p><p>Dean blinks back in question like he senses something about to happen, like the way Dean goes when he can feel something is not right. It’s now or never.</p><p>Eyes following and watching, Castiel steps next to Dean. Heart pounding, his vessel feeling like it’s someone else’s, Castiel shouldn’t have to feel those things but he did.</p><p>The only person in the universe who can make him feel as if he's falling from the sky again. It’s strange because even at the end of time, Dean can still shake him to the core and steady at the same time. Make him feel the gravitation so magnetic and familiar—he’s felt this since he met Dean in that barn. The space between them barely an inch, he stands so close he can count Dean’s golden freckles, his long lashes dark curtains sweeping his cheeks, even the swirls in his green eyes, brilliant and beautiful.</p><p>“Cas—” he keeps frowning, “We talked about this. No more sacrifices.” He is the same stubborn man Castiel met the first time, the same lost man in his own skin, afraid while trying to act bravely to save people, kind but needing to harden his heart in order to survive, broken but always patching himself up in order to answer the voices of those in need while disregarding his own, Dean Winchester… his Dean….</p><p>“Do you trust me, Dean?” Castiel asks softly, still a poignant question when the answer is not unknown. Dean’s expression change, understanding setting deep behind his eyes.</p><p>“Cas, whatever this is, don’t do this—” he growls again, voice breaking in the end, a touch of something soft and pleading behind his eyes.</p><p>Castiel wished he didn’t have to do this knowing his charge—his best friend, the man he cares for the most will feel this like his own death—because Dean will <em>feel, </em>and Castiel’s heart just breaks for him. <em>He wished this didn’t have to hurt Dean more than it should… but it will.</em></p><p>“You’ll be okay, Dean,” he prays almost to heaven.</p><p>“You son of a bitch, don’t do this—" Strong hands wrap around his lapel, Dean’s face red in simmering rage. Castiel holds Dean’s wrist because he understands.</p><p>“I have to. But I want to know if you can trust me if you believe that I will always come back to you.” He says urgently.</p><p>Dean’s eyes lose their hardened wall, revealing all molten pain. He is breaking even before Castiel can do it.</p><p>He holds his breath, asking himself if hurting Dean is worth any of it. Surely… surely… Dean will be okay?</p><p>“Cas, don’t…” he weeps. Castiel wants to embrace him. He doesn’t if he did…</p><p>“Dean, I need your answer, Dean.” He repeats also clinging to his own resolve while watching his charge fall apart. “Do you trust me?”</p><p>Dean’s lips tremble, his pain seems so extreme, it’s also gutting the angel from the inside. He’s never seen Dean break like this—only those times when he lost his brother—his family. But then that’s it, Dean is losing him and the pain is raw and bleeding from every line of his expression.</p><p>Castiel feels hollow. How can this work if he’s leaving Dean this way? <em>When it feels like he’s murdering Dean…?</em></p><p>Carefully, so gently, he cradles Dean’s cheeks. Dean leans to his touch, eyes closing with tears falling down shamelessly. Castiel doesn’t want to do this, no.</p><p>“Dean…give me strength to do this, please… do you trust me?”</p><p>Dean nods, pursing his lips in an attempt to hide his trembling lips. Castiel wants to bless him with a kiss— he will, he promises himself, he will take care of Dean once this is all over, but for now…</p><p>“Cas, Dean’s not going to kill you, what is going on?” Sam says from somewhere far, tone indignant.</p><p>“He won’t,” Castiel blinks his watery eyes, his eyes sweeping Dean’s face, wanting to remember, wanting to have that strength, “it’s a choice… my choice and I’m not stupid enough to make him think it’s his fault, he doesn’t even have to say anything, I see it all. I see everything…”</p><p>How can’t he when Dean’s eyes are a pure mine of sincerity, honesty, devotion revealing itself time and again to the angel.</p><p>His heart swells every time he acknowledges it and this time, he’s not telling his heart to stop. He lets himself feel it, feels the wrapping, tangling sense of satisfaction—<em>happiness</em>— Castiel catches his breath.</p><p>“I love you,” he says quietly almost like a passing air, now brave enough to say it directly to the hunter he’ll sacrifice everything for. It doesn’t surprise him when Dean nods vigorously, a smile cracking on his lips.</p><p>“Yeah, I know… you scream every time you see me,” he chides.</p><p>Castiel nods, his heart wants to burst like how it did when the stars first breathed when the darkness was filled with light when he saw Dean in hell and claimed him forever. Dean is beautiful when he smiles.</p><p>“I love all humanity, I love our family, but mostly, I just… love you. I love you, Dean. Just <em>you</em>.” He can feel he is running out of time, Dean is listening, nodding, “I love you. For being you. Among everything—always you. <em>Just you—Dean—"</em></p><p>Dean begins to slip as darkness begin to unwrap from the corner of his eyes—then strong hands and Dean speaking to him—</p><p><em>“Get your feathery ass back to me or I’ll forget you.”</em> Dean tells him in spite and something else, “<em>I’ll get myself another rebel angel and marry whoever it is, and forget you! I'm gonna kiss him every day, make love to him and ...and... Damn you I’ll make you so jealous you’re gonna want to return—"</em></p><p>Dean disappears. Castiel’s breathe disappears with him, the light in his eyes go and consciousness trap in the deepest, darkest recess of the unknown, far and lost. A pain like any other when he can no longer feel his warmth, his presence like a line cut, their bond disappears… robbed before his eyes.</p><p>It’s all dark and he is alone…</p><p><em>I’ll get myself another rebel angel and marry whoever it is, and forget you</em>!</p><p>Castiel awakens in the dark.</p><p>Damn Winchester getting him all so worked up in their last second, but Castiel awakens. He remembers. But more importantly, he glows from the inside, a light so strong belonging not only to him but the manifestation of Dean’s love, knowing when he returns, it’s beside Dean. Keeping that, clinging to it, he makes his move. This is his last mission to save the world, and then he’ll spend his eternity beside the human he loves the most. So, he will do it for that paradise.</p><p>He’ll do this for Dean.</p><p>If Dean’s going to marry anyone, there’s no one more deserving than himself, after everything he’s done, it’s the trophy at the end of the game. Castiel punches the dark with a whip of his spreading wings, ablaze in his eyes.</p><p>You just wait.</p><p>
  <em>Marry another angel, my assbutt.</em>
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